Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 12, 2004
Uganda reveals reform recommendations on constitution
The Uganda Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) has recommended that Ugandans will decide in a referendum whether to lift the presidential two-term limits or not,according to local newspaper Sunday Vision.
The Uganda Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) has recommended that Ugandans will decide in a referendum whether to lift the presidential two-term limits or not,according to local newspaper Sunday Vision.
The recommendation was contained in a CRC report handed to Justice and Constitutional Minister Janat Mukwaya.
If approved by Parliament, the referendum must be held between July this year and June 2005.
The CRC was set up on Feb. 9, 2001 to review some of the contentious issues in the 1995 Constitution. The CRC headed by Professor Frederick Ssempebwa has made some other recommendations in the report.
The Ugandan cabinet will prepare a white paper to be submitted with the report to Parliament to take decisions on some of the contentious issues.
The CRC recommended that the number of constituencies for directly elected MPs be reduced from the current 214 to 120. The population quota for the constituencies is being raised from the current 70,000 to 200,000 people.
The commission also proposed the phasing out of the 10 army representatives in Parliament when the country is operating a multiparty system, to avoid armed forces being partisan.
The report recommended that ministers should not hold parliamentary seats.